Security for uniquely generated electronic seals of certification

ABSTRACT

The invention provides techniques for issuing electronic seals of certification to online entities, such as online merchants, in a manner that prevents non-certified parties from easily stealing or otherwise misusing the seals. A central seal issuer verifies the credentials, policies or business practices of each merchant and issues a corresponding seal of certification. For each merchant, the seal issuer generates a unique media object representing an electronic seal. The media object includes an encrypted watermark containing an expiration date. The media objects are stored on a seal server such that the merchants can dynamically retrieve and display the electronic seals when accessed by a user. The seal issuer can easily revoke or update the centrally stored seals.

[0001] This application is a continuation patent application and claimspriority from co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/634,149,filed Aug. 8, 2000, the entire content of which is incorporated hereinby reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present invention relates to electronic seals.

BACKGROUND

[0003] One of the difficulties a user faces when engaging other partiesonline, such as joining online clubs, purchasing items or generallyinteracting with others, is that the user typically has limited contactwith the other parties and, therefore, often has privacy concerns andother legitimate apprehensions. This is especially true when the userwishes to conduct business online, such as in an online marketplace orbusiness-to-business intermediary. As a result, some organizations haveestablished “seal programs” by setting policies and issuing electronic“seals” to companies that adhere to the policies. For example, TRUSTe™is an independent, non-profit privacy organization that has developed athird-party oversight seal program that tries to alleviates users'concerns about online privacy, TRUSTe issues an electronic seal image toorganizations that meet its privacy program. The certified organizationsdisplay the seal on their websites to indicate their compliance with theprogram.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] In general, the invention provides techniques for issuingelectronic seals such that non-certified parties cannot easily steal orotherwise misuse the seals. According to one aspect of the invention, acentral seal “issuer” verifies the credentials, policies or businesspractices of online merchants and issues a corresponding seal ofcertification upon verification. Unlike conventional systems, the sealissuer can generate a unique seal for each merchant. The seal issuergenerates the seal in the form of a media object that includes anencrypted watermark containing an expiration date. A central seal serverstores the media objects such that the merchants can dynamicallyretrieve and display the electronic seals as needed. The seal issuer,therefore, can easily revoke or update the seals on the central sealserver.

[0005] In another aspect, the invention is directed to a method in whicha database is accessed to retrieve certification data for a set ofonline merchants and a corresponding media object is generated for eachmerchant as a function of the certification data. Each media objectrepresents a seal of certification for the corresponding onlinemerchant. In one configuration, the media objects are generated by anembedding an encrypted digital watermark having an expiration date forthe seal. The media objects are stored on a seal server such that eachmedia object can be retrieved according to a unique identifier for thecorresponding merchant. Upon receiving such a request, the requestedmedia object is communicated to a client device for presentment to auser.

[0006] In yet another aspect, the invention is directed to acomputer-readable medium having instructions configured to cause aprogrammable-processor to perform the methods described herein.

[0007] The invention offers several advantages over conventionalsystems. For example, because the media objects are centrally stored bythe seal issuer, and can be unique to each online merchant, each sealcan easily be revoked or updated. Furthermore, requests to display theseals can more easily be tracked such that general usage can be reportedand misuse can be detected.

[0008] Various embodiments of the invention are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below. Other features andadvantages of the invention will become apparent from the description,the drawings, and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009]FIG. 1 is a high-level block diagram of an example systemconfigured according the invention.

[0010]FIG. 2 is a more detailed block diagram of an example systemconfigured according to the invention.

[0011]FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example process in which thesystem certifies online merchants.

[0012]FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example process in which thesystem generates and maintains a set of media objects that representelectronic seals of certification.

[0013]FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example process in which thesystem services requests from the online merchants to present theelectronic seals.

[0014]FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example process in which thesystem services requests from users to view certification informationfor the online merchants.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015]FIG. 1 is a high-level block diagram of a system 2 in which onlinemerchants 4 provide goods and services to user 6. Merchants 4 representbusiness entities that transact goods or services over network 12, whichrepresents a network of computing resources such as the Internet. Forexample, a merchant 4 can be a buyer or seller of goods, such as books,movies, software, computers, semiconductor components and the like. Amerchant 4 can also be an entity that provides services over network 12,such as an online storage provider, an Application Service Provider(ASP) or even an online marketplace or other intermediary. Althoughdescribed in the context of a business entity, merchants 4 can also beany entity having an online presence.

[0016] User 6 uses computing device 10 to remotely interact withmerchants 4 over network 12. Computing device 10 represents anycommunication device suitable for interfacing with network 12 andinteracting with merchants 4 such as a personal computer running a webbrowser such as Internet Explorer™ from Microsoft Corporation ofRedmond, Wash. Alternatively, computing device 4 can be, for example, apersonal digital assistant (PDA), such as a Palm™ organizer from PalmInc. of Santa Clara, Calif., or a network-enabled cellular telephone.

[0017] Seal issuer 8 verifies the credentials, policies or businesspractices of each Merchant 4 and issues a corresponding seal ofcertification to each merchant 4 upon verification. In order to become a“seal holder”, each merchant 4 must comply with requirements set by sealissuer 8. For example, seal issuer might, for example, verify thatmerchant 4 is a legitimate business merchant that complies with, oragrees to conform to, certain standards. For example, seal issuer 8 maybe an online dispute resolution service that is designed to help buyersand sellers settle issues involving online transactions, such as issuesthat may arise in an online auction. In this instance, seal issuer 8issues an electronic seal to merchants 4 that agree to participate inthe web-based problem solving service. As another example, seal issuer 8can be an organization that verifies merchants 4 compliance with privacyor security requirements. Alternatively, for example, seal issuer 8 mayperform a nominal amount of certification before issuing the seal suchas verifying the contact information.

[0018] Upon verifying a merchant 4, seal issuer 8 issues the merchant 4an electronic seal that is a recognizable symbol associated with certainqualities such as trustworthiness, reliability, and superior customerservice. Merchants 4 post their corresponding electronic seals on theirweb sites or in electronic mail messages (emails) in order to increasethe confidence of potential customers. Unlike conventional techniques,seal issuer 8 does not issue a static image to merchants 4. As describedin detail below, seal issuer 8 generates and maintains a uniqueelectronic seal for each merchant 4. As such, seal issuer 8 caninstantly issue, update, change, or revoke a seal when a merchant 4fails to comply with the requirements. In addition, seal issuer 8 tracksthe use of all issued electronic seals in order to detect any misuse ortheft of the seal.

[0019]FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating one example of seal issuer8. Seal issuer 8 includes web servers 20, seal servers 22,administration (“admin”) server 26, database 23, request log 24 and sealrepository 25.

[0020] Web servers 20 provide an interface for communicating withcomputing device 10 via network 12. Web servers 20 execute web serversoftware, such as Internet Information Server™ from MicrosoftCorporation, of Redmond, Wash., and provide an environment forinteracting with users 6 and merchants 4, such as when merchants 4 applyfor seals or when users 6 request more information about a certifiedmerchant 4. Web servers 20 serve web pages and communicate the web pagesover network 12. The web pages may include static media such as text andgraphic imagery, as well as conventional input media such as text entryboxes, radio buttons, drop-down menus, and the like.

[0021] Seal servers 22 provide access to seal repository 25, whichstores a set of media objects that represent the electronic seals. Eachmedia object contains media, such as image data, video data, and audiodata, that merchant 4 presents as an electronic seal of certification.Each media object corresponds to one of the merchants 4 and can beretrieved from seal repository 25 based on a unique identifier for thecorresponding merchant. In one configuration, each media object is givena unique file name and stored within a file system provided by sealserver 22 such that computing device 10 can directly retrieve the mediaobject without requiring that seal issuer 8 access a database. Inaddition to the media, such as the image data, each media objectcontains a watermark having encrypted information such as an expirationdate, a time stamp and the unique identifier for the correspondingmerchant 4.

[0022] Database 23 stores information for each merchant 4 such ascurrent certification status, contact information and an expiration datefor each merchant's unique seal. Request log 24 stores all requests forthe media objects and the merchant information.

[0023] Admin server 26 provides administrative functionality for sealissuer 8 and provides an operating environment for a number of softwaremodules including seal maintenance modules 27 and theft detectionmodules 28. Seal maintenance modules 27 are responsible for generating aunique media object when a new merchant 4 is certified and updating themedia object if the merchant loses its certified status. In addition,seal maintenance modules 27 periodically regenerate the media objects,including updating the embedded expiration date and the timestamp.

[0024] Upon certifying a merchant 4, seal maintenance modules 27generate a corresponding media object and issue code for use by themerchant to uniquely reference the media object. For example, a merchant4 having a unique identifier of 1520511267 can use the following code toreference a media object housed within seal servers 22:

[0025] <a HREF=“http://sealissuer.com/1520511267.map”

[0026] TARGET=“_blank”><IMG ISMAP SRC=“http://

[0027] sealissuer.com/1520511267.gif” ALT=“Click to verify”

[0028] BORDER=0></a>

[0029] The above code uses server-side image maps such that when user 6clicks on any area of the presented image, the pixel coordinateinformation is transmitted to seal issuer 8 where it is remotelytranslated into an appropriate action. This advantageously removes anyclient-side scripting dependencies and greatly reduces the size of theclient-side code required to display the seal.

[0030] Theft detection modules 28 analyze request log 24 in order todetect any misuse or theft of an electronic seal. For example, when aseal is requested, seal servers 22 record the internet protocol (IP)address of the requesting merchant within request log 24. In addition,when user 6 clicks on the seal to verify the seal, web servers 20,provide the information to the user and log the IP address of computingdevice 10. Theft detection modules 28 analyze request log 24 to detectany new or unexpected IP addresses. Upon detecting misuse, sealmaintenance modules 27 issue a new seal to the affected merchant 4 bygenerating a new media object, storing the media object within sealrepository 25, and instructing the merchant to update its websitesoftware to point to the new seal.

[0031] Theft detection modules 28 also use spidering technology tosearch network 12 for all occurrences of issued seals. Upon finding aseal, theft detection modules 28 decrypt the embedded watermark,determine whether the seal has expired, inform any interested parties ofthe expiration and optionally revoke the expired seal.

[0032]FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example process 30 in whichseal issuer 8 certifies an online merchant 4. First, seal issuer 8receives an application from merchant 4 including contact information,business organization and location. This request may be receivedelectronically via network 12 or through conventional communicationmechanisms such as the postal service (step 32). Seal issuer 8researches merchant 4, verifies that the merchant is a legitimatebusiness organization and certifies that the merchant's businesspractices meet all standards necessary to obtain the seal (step 34).Upon certifying merchant 4, seal issuer 8 stores the certification datain database 23 (step 36).

[0033]FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example process 40 in whichseal issuer 8 generates and maintains the media objects within sealrepository 25. Upon verifying one or more merchants 4, seal maintenancemodules 27 access database 23 and retrieve the certification data foreach certified merchant 4. Next, based on this information, sealmaintenance modules 27 generate a unique media object for each merchant4 (step 44) and store the media objects within seal servers 22 (step 46)such that computing device 10 can remotely access the media objects.Next, seal maintenance modules 27 periodically regenerate the mediaobjects in order to update the embedded information including theexpiration date (step 48). For example, a new set of media objects canbe generated daily in order to facilitate detection of expired seals. Inone configuration, seal issuer 8 generates a media object having atransparent image when the corresponding merchant 4 loses itscertification status. In this manner, the seal “disappears” from themerchant web site.

[0034]FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example process 50 in whichseal issuer 8 services requests from the online merchants 4 to presentthe electronic seals to user 6. When user 6 accesses a merchant 4,client device 10 is directed to retrieve a seal from seal servers 22.More specifically, seal servers 22 receive a request from computingdevice 10 that includes a unique identifier for one of the merchantsand, therefore, uniquely identifies one of the media objects within sealrepository 25 (step 52). Seal servers 22 log the request by storing theIP address within request log 24 (step 54) and select the appropriatemedia object according to the unique identifier (step 56). For example,seal servers 22 may simply identify an appropriate file that stores themedia object based on the unique identifier. Upon selecting the mediaobject, seal servers 22 communicate the media object to computing device10, which in turn presents the media to user 6 (step 58).

[0035]FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example process 60 in whichthe seal issuer 8 services user requests to verify a seal by viewingcertification information for the online merchants 4. After the media ispresented to user 6, as described above, the user 6 has the option toclick on the displayed media to view the certification information forthe merchant 4. For example, when the user clicks an image, web servers20 receive pixel information describing where the user clicked on theimage as well as a unique identifier for the merchant (step 62). Uponreceiving the request, web servers 20 log the request (step 64) andaccess database 23 to retrieve information relating to the identifiedmerchant (step 66). Web servers 20 assemble the retrieved data into aweb page and serve the web page to client device 10 for display to user6 (step 68). Alternatively, web servers 20 direct computer device 10 toa static web page for the corresponding merchant 4.

[0036] In one configuration, web servers 20 filters the informationbased on one or more stored settings, such as an anonymity parameter,which causes web servers 20 to filter contact information for themerchant 4. In another configuration, web servers 20 monitor therequesting universal resource locator (URL) for merchant 4 and filterthe information accordingly. In this manner, seal issuer 4 can filtercontact information when the seal is used by online intermediaries thatprevent buyers from directly contacting sellers.

[0037] Various embodiments have been described for issuing electronicseals of certification to online entities, such as online merchants.These and other embodiments are within the scope of the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: certifying a plurality ofonline entities; selectively generating corresponding media objects foreach of a plurality of online entities based on the certification,wherein each of the media objects includes media to present a uniqueseal of certification for each of the entities; and embedding securityfeatures into the media objects to prevent misuse of the media objects.2. The method of claim 1, wherein the media objects comprise images, andembedding security features into the media objects includes embeddingdigital watermarks into the images.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinembedding security features into the media objects includes embeddingexpiration dates for the seals into the objects.
 4. The method of claim3, wherein embedding expiration dates includes encrypting the expirationdates.
 5. The method of claim 3, further comprising: accessing a networkof computing resources to identify occurrences of the media objects,wherein the media objects are presented as portions of websites; readingthe expiration dates embedded within the media objects to determinewhether the media objects remain valid; and revoking each media objectthat is determined not to remain valid.
 6. The method of claim 5,wherein revoking the media objects includes replacing a media objectlocated on a remote server with a second media object.
 7. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the second media object contains an image visuallydifferent from an image contained within the replaced media object. 8.The method of claim 1, wherein embedding security features into themedia objects includes embedding dates into the objects.
 9. Acomputer-readable medium comprising instructions that cause aprogrammable processor to: generate corresponding media objects for eachof a plurality of online entities, wherein each of the media objectsincludes media to present a unique seal of certification for each of theentities; and embed security features into the media objects to preventmisuse of the media objects.
 10. The computer-readable medium of claim9, wherein the media objects comprise images, and wherein theinstructions that cause a programmable processor to embed securityfeatures into the media objects comprise instructions that cause aprogrammable processor to embed digital watermarks into the images. 11.The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions thatcause a programmable processor to embed security features into the mediaobjects comprise instructions that cause a programmable processor toembed expiration dates for the seals into the objects.
 12. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions thatcause a programmable processor to embed expiration dates compriseinstructions that cause a programmable processor to encrypt theexpiration dates.
 13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, furthercomprising instructions that cause a programmable processor to: access anetwork of computing resources to identify occurrences of the mediaobjects, wherein the media objects are presented as portions ofwebsites; read the expiration dates embedded within the media objects todetermine whether the media objects remain valid; and revoke each mediaobject that is determined not to remain valid.
 14. The computer-readablemedium of claim 13, wherein the instructions that cause a programmableprocessor to revoke the media objects comprise instructions that cause aprogrammable processor to replace a media object located on a remoteserver with a second media object.
 15. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 14, wherein the second media object contains an image visuallydifferent from an image contained within the replaced media object. 16.A method comprising: generating corresponding media objects for each ofa plurality of online entities, wherein each of the media objectsincludes media to present a unique seal of certification for each of theentities; receiving requests from web browsers executing on clientdevices for the media objects; communicating the requested media objectsto the requesting web browsers for presentment of the respective sealsof certification to users as portions of websites; and maintaining a logof the requests to detect misuse of the media objects.
 17. The method ofclaim 16, wherein maintaining a log of the requests comprises storing aunique identifier for each client device within the request log.
 18. Themethod of claim 17, wherein the unique identifier include an InternetProtocol address.
 19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:analyzing the request log to detect misuse of the media objects; andalerting the entities associated with misused media objects of thedetected misuse.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein analyzing therequest log to detect misuse comprises analyzing the request log todetect an unexpected unique identifier.
 21. The method of claim 19,further comprising: removing the misused media objects from a server;and generating a new media objects for the associated entities.
 22. Asystem comprising: a server to generate corresponding media objects foreach of a plurality of online entities, wherein each of the mediaobjects includes media to present a unique seal of certification foreach of the entities, receive requests from web browsers executing onclient devices for the media objects, and communicate the requestedmedia objects to the requesting web browsers for presentment of therespective seals of certification to users as portions of websites; anda database to store a log of the requests, wherein the server maintainsthe request log to detect misuse of the media objects.
 23. The system ofclaim 22, wherein the server stores a unique identifier for each clientdevice within the request log.
 24. The system of claim 23, wherein theunique identifier include an Internet Protocol address.
 25. The systemof claim 23, wherein the server analyzes the request log to detectmisuse of the media objects, and alerts the entities associated withmisused media objects of the detected misuse.
 26. The system of claim35, wherein the server analyzes the request log to detect unexpectedunique identifiers.
 27. The system of claim 25, wherein the serverdeletes the misused media objects from a database, and generates newmedia objects for the associated entities.
 28. A method comprising:storing information for each of a plurality of online entities within adatabase; generating corresponding media objects for each the onlineentities, wherein each of the media objects includes media to present aunique seal for each of the entities; communicating a requested one ofthe media objects to a web browser for presentment of the respectiveseal to a user as a portion of a website; and selectively providing theinformation stored within the database for the entity associated withrequested media object to the user via the web browser.
 29. The methodof claim 28, wherein selectively providing the data comprises: aftercommunicating the requested media object to the client device, receivinga request from the client device to view additional information for theentity corresponding to the requested media object; retrieving theinformation as a function of a unique identifier provided by therequest; and communicating the information to the client device fordisplay to the user.
 30. The method of claim 28, wherein the entitycomprises an online merchant and the information includes a transactionhistory for the merchant.
 31. The method of claim 28, further comprisingstoring a disclosure setting for each entity, and wherein selectivelyproviding the information includes filtering the information based onthe disclosure setting.
 32. The method of claim 31, further comprisingfiltering the information based on a universal resource locator (URL)received during the request for the information.
 33. The method of claim28, wherein selectively presenting the information comprises providing aweb page that includes the information.
 34. A computer-readable mediumcomprising instructions that cause a programmable processor to: storeinformation for each of a plurality of online entities within adatabase; generate corresponding media objects for each the onlineentities, wherein each of the media objects includes media to present aunique seal for each of the entities; communicate a requested one of themedia objects to a web browser for presentment of the respective seal toa user as a portion of a website; and selectively provide theinformation stored within the database for the entity associated withrequested media object to the user via the web browser.
 35. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the instructions thatcause a programmable processor to selectively providing the datacomprise instructions that cause a programmable processor to: aftercommunicating the requested media object to the client device, receive arequest from the client device to view additional information for theentity corresponding to the requested media object; retrieve theinformation as a function of a unique identifier provided by therequest; and communicate the information to the client device fordisplay to the user.
 36. The computer-readable medium of claim 34,wherein the entity comprises an online merchant and the informationincludes a transaction history for the merchant.
 37. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 34, further comprising instructionsthat cause a programmable processor to store a disclosure setting foreach entity, and wherein the instructions that cause a programmableprocessor to selectively provide the information comprise instructionsthat cause a processor to filter the information based on the disclosuresetting.
 38. The computer-readable medium of claim 37, furthercomprising instructions that cause a programmable processor to filterthe information based on a universal resource locator (URL) receivedduring the request for the information.
 39. The computer-readable mediumof claim 34, wherein the instructions that cause a programmableprocessor to selectively present the information comprise instructionsthat cause a programmable processor to provide a web page that includesthe information.
 40. A system comprising: a database to storeinformation for each of a plurality of online entities; and a server togenerate corresponding media objects for each the online entities,wherein each of the media objects includes media to present a uniqueseal for each of the entities, communicate a requested one of the mediaobjects to a web browser for presentment of the respective seal to auser as a portion of a website, and selectively provide the informationstored within the database for the entity associated with requestedmedia object to the user via the web browser.
 41. The system of claim40, wherein after communicating the requested media object to the clientdevice, the server receives a request from the client device to viewadditional information for the entity corresponding to the requestedmedia object, retrieves the information as a function of a uniqueidentifier provided by the request, and communicates the information tothe client device for display to the user.
 42. The system of claim 40,wherein the entity comprises an online merchant and the informationincludes a transaction history for the merchant.
 43. The system of claim40, where the server stores a disclosure setting for each entity, andfilters the information based on the disclosure setting.
 44. The systemof claim 43, wherein the server filters the information based on auniversal resource locator (URL) received during the request for theinformation.
 45. The system of claim 40, wherein the server provides aweb page that includes the information to the user.
 46. A method forpreventing misuse of electronic seals associated with participants in anelectronic marketplace that is accessed via a computer network andenables participants to buy and sell items comprising, the methodcomprising: generating corresponding media objects for each of aplurality of participants in the marketplace, wherein each of the mediaobjects includes media to present a unique seal of certification foreach of the participants as an image; embedding digital watermarks intothe images and dates into the media objects; accessing a network ofcomputing resources to identify occurrences of the media objects,wherein the media objects are presented as portions of websitesassociated with the online marketplace; reading the dates embeddedwithin the media objects to determine whether the media objects arevalid; and revoking each media object that is determined not to bevalid.
 47. The method of claim 46, further comprising certifying theparticipants, wherein generating corresponding media objects comprisesgenerating corresponding media objects for each of the participantsbased on the certification.
 48. The method of claim 47, whereincertifying participants comprises at least one of verifying that abusiness practice of the participants meets a standard and receivingagreements to participate in online dispute resolution from theentities.
 49. The method of claim 46, wherein the participants aresellers in the online marketplace.
 50. A method for preventing misuse ofelectronic seals associated with participants in an electronicmarketplace that is accessed via a computer network and enablesparticipants to buy and sell items comprising, the method comprising:generating corresponding media objects for each of a plurality ofparticipants in the online marketplace, wherein each of the mediaobjects includes media to present a unique seal of certification foreach of the participants as an image; embedding dates in within themedia objects; receiving requests from web browsers executing on clientdevices for the media objects; communicating the requested media objectsto the requesting web browsers for presentment of the respective seal ofcertification to users as portions of websites associated with theonline marketplace; maintaining a log of the requests that includes anInternet Protocol address associated with each requesting client device;analyzing the request log to detect misuse of the media objects;alerting the participants associated with misused media objects of thedetected misuse; removing the misused media objects from a server; andgenerating new media objects for the associated entities.
 51. The methodof claim 50, further comprising certifying the participants, whereingenerating corresponding media objects comprises generatingcorresponding media objects for each of the participants based on thecertification.
 52. The method of claim 51, wherein certifyingparticipants comprises at least one of verifying that a businesspractice of the participants meets a standard, that a participant agreesto the standard, and receiving agreements to participate in onlinedispute resolution form the participants.
 53. The method of claim 50,wherein the participants are sellers in an online marketplace.
 54. Amethod for selectively providing information associated withparticipants in an online marketplace that is accessed via a computernetwork and enables participants to buy and sell items to otherparticipants in the online marketplace, the method comprising: storinginformation and a disclosure setting for each of a plurality ofparticipants in the online marketplace within a database; generatingcorresponding media objects for each of the participants, wherein eachof the media objects includes media to present a unique seal for each ofthe participants that is determined based on the information stored inthe database for each of the participants; communicating a requested oneof the media objects to a web browser for presentment of the respectiveseal to a user as a portion of a website associated with the onlinemarketplace; after communicating the requested media object to theclient device, receiving a request from the client device to viewadditional information for the participant corresponding to therequested media object; retrieving the information stored in thedatabase for the participant associated with the requested media objectas a function of a unique identifier provided by the request; filteringthe information based on the disclosure setting stored in the databasefor the participant associated with the requested media object; andcommunicating the filtered information to the client device for displayto the user.